What are some easy & fun Halloween related foods to make with a 5 year old?

Hey there- I haven't run into too many people on here planning activites with small children. Most parties etc that are discussed are for adults. I am planning a halloween party for my son, he will be turning 7. You might want to check out the family fun website Halloween Recipes - Cakes and Treats - and More Great Family Fun Recipe Ideas

or better homes and gardens
Halloween Recipes

They both have great recipes for kids.

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~Bridgette

We have a kids party (girls) every year and I found that they don't really eat Halloween food. They do eat fruit, potato chips, pretzels and of course candy. I tried for three years of making Halloween Cupcakes, Witch Finger Cookies, Chocolate covered pretzel rods, Eerie Eyeball Chocolates and Bat Wings (chicken), the kids really didn't want anything to do with them, so last year I did the normal snacks in Halloween bowls and they finally ate something.

Have you seen the witch finger cookies? They are lots of fun to make with kids. (I know the recipe has been posted on this forum a couple of times)

I've got a hand cookie cutter and have used it to cut out hand shaped bologna slices. When you fry them they curl up and look neat. Bone cookie cutters work well for cheese, and a large pumpkin cookie cutter works for bread. Kids seem to like making their own sandwiches this way. Serve pus, blood and boogers (mustard, ketchup and green relish) on the side.

If you want stuff that is easy enough for kids to make, here's stuff I've done with younguns:
apple slices dipped in caramel or chocolate,
cookies cut with halloween cookie cutters,
make a pizza and the kids decorate it to look like a jack o lantern,

It doesn't have to be spectacular looking, just fun-(as in not frustrating!) to make, and stuff they'll eat.

I have tried a couple of the recipes from:

Creepy Caramel Apples Recipe |

They were easy and turned out well. The recipes are not really "gross."



Taste of Home is another great site to try. They have good ideas....

Halloween Recipes | Taste of Home Recipes



My niece really loves this one:



PETRIFYING PIZZAS

1 Batch Favorite Home-made Pizza Dough recipe or 2, 16-ounce balls of prepared pizza dough (thawed)
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
2 pounds thickly sliced whole-milk mozzarella cheese
Couple of tablespoons of olive oil
Fresh Basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 450° F.
(use a Pizza stone if you have one... let it pre-heat for about 10 minutes)

Using Halloween cookie cutters, cut-out bats, moons, ghosts, cats, etc. out of the sliced mozzarella.

Divide each ball of dough into 6 smaller balls. Roll out flat into a square or circle with rolling pin, to about 1/4 inch thickness. Spoon a very thin layer of olive oil over each mini pizza dough.
Then spoon some marinara sauce over it. Sprinkle a little corn meal over the stone just before you place the mini pizzas onto it. Then, place dough directly onto pizza stone. Bake for about 5 minutes.

Pull out oven rack, and place cheese cut-outs onto mini pizzas. Put back into the oven for another 3 minutes. (BE careful; it the oven is really hot doing this.)

Use a spatula to remove pizzas from the stone. Sprinkle fresh torn basil over pizzas, serve.

NOTE: If you don't have a pizza stone, you can bake dough on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes, ....etc.

HAVE FUN! H1

Kids would love to eat brains I think... especially if it was a JELLO brain. Here is a brain mold link....Gelatin Brain Mold in Decorations Body Parts

This is a mad scientist idea... jello style petrie dishes with gummy worms... fun stuff Junior Society Blog Archive Absolutely Mad!

Duncan Hines October newsletter had some cute Halloween cupcake ideas, that are easy to make.



Halloween Owl Cupcakes

12 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Devil's Food cupcakes baked in brown paper liners
24 mini Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Devil's Food cupcakes baked in brown paper liners
24 cream filled chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos)
48 mini cream filled chocolate sandwich cookies (Mini Oreos)
2 cans (16 ounces) Duncan Hines Classic Chocolate frosting
2 tablespoons Duncan Hines Vanilla frosting
12 small banana shaped hard candies (Runts)
24 yellow candy coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds
24 mini chocolate covered mints (Junior Mints)
48 brown mini candy coated chocolates (M&M's Minis)

Split the sandwich cookies, regular and mini, in half crosswise, keeping the cream side hole (microwaving a few cookies at a time for several seconds helps to keep the cream side solid). Use a paring knife to remove any excess crumbs from cream filling.

To form the ears make 2 parallel cuts with a serrated knife in the large plain chocolate cookies 1/2 inch from each rounded side, discarding the 1/2 inch strip that remains from the center of the cookie. Cut the mini plain cookie in half.

Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate frosting and the 2 tablespoons of the vanilla frosting into separate ziplock bags; set aside. Spread the remaining chocolate frosting on top of the standard and mini cupcakes and smooth.

To make the ears, attach the large cut cookies on top of the 12 standard cupcakes with some of the chocolate frosting, round side facing each other, at an angle, about 1 1/2 inches apart and hanging over edge of cupcake about 3/4 inch. Repeat process with the mini cut cookies and mini cupcakes, with a 1/2 inch overhang.

Place the large cream sided cookies, cream side up, on the upper half of the large cupcakes. Do the same for the mini cupcakes with the mini cookies.

Snip a small corner (1/8 inch) from the bag with the chocolate and vanilla frostings. Pipe the chocolate frosting in vertical lines over the cookie ears to cover. Starting at the outer edge of cupcake pipe the feathers with the chocolate frosting around top of cupcake and under the eyes.

Press the yellow candies in between the cookie eyes as the beak. Attach the chocolate covered mints on top of the cookies with some of the vanilla frosting on the larger cupcakes and the mini brown candies for the smaller cupcakes. Position the eyes in different directions to give the owls character. Pipe a white highlight on the eyes.







Out-Of-This-World Alien Cupcakes

24 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe French Vanilla cupcakes baked in foil liners
2 cans Duncan Hines Creamy Vanilla frosting
Neon green food coloring (McCormmicks)
12 marshmallows
24 plain doughnut holes
48 black candy coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds
Black licorice laces, cut into 1 inch pieces
48 clear plastic drinking cups (8 ounces)

Tint the vanilla frosting an appropriate alien green with the neon food coloring. Cut the marshmallows in half crosswise with clean scissors.

Spread a thin layer of the green frosting on top of the cupcakes and attach the marshmallow half in the center, cut side down. Place the doughnut hole on top of the marshmallow using the green frosting to secure. Spread additional green frosting over the marshmallow and donut hole to fill gaps and smooth.

Place assembled cupcakes in the freezer for 15 minutes or until slightly frozen.
Working in batches, spoon 1 cup of the green frosting into a 1 cup glass measuring cup. Heat the green frosting in the microwave for 10 to 15 second intervals, stirring frequently, until frosting is the consistency of slightly whipped cream (do not overheat).

Holding chilled cupcake by foil liner, dip one at a time into the green frosting just up to the foil liner. Allow excess frosting to drip off. Carefully invert cupcake and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Reheat frosting in the microwave for several seconds, stirring well, when consistency becomes too thick. Add more green frosting and heat as necessary.

Press the black candies onto the head area pointed end facing each other, to make the eyes. Make 2 holes in the top of each donut hole with a toothpick and insert a piece of licorice in each holes to make the antennae

Carefully place each cupcake into plastic cup and top with another cup, inverted, to look like a space ship.

I just came across this great recipe......it would be really easy for kids & fun! H1

Smashed Peas and Carrots: Cornflake Pumpkins